TSSW Research Centre: Looking Back and Forward

Traditionally, people reflect on the expiring year just before the New Year’s Eve. They evaluate everything that has been done and articulate their dreams and hopes. We may say that the research centre TSSW began its work a year ago. It has done a lot of work over this time: carried out many projects and conducted several international events; and brought together researchers from different scientific areas to work in teams and collaborate.

The idea of studying Siberia interdisciplinarily appeared to be so attractive and prospective, that it teamed up people from TSU, other Russian research and education centres, and the international scientific community. It allowed TSSW to carry out the concept of establishing an international consortium that will do its research and project natural and social changes in Siberia and their impact on the global situation.

From this point of view, establishing the international network SecNET under the auspices of TSSW has become a real breakthrough in 2016. Researchers from multiple Russian, British, Canadian, Swiss, and Finnish research centres have already joined the network.

Network connections and close professional relationships are built not only at research events, but in the field as well. Members of the network work together in expeditions organized by TSSW.

In 2016, the TSSW researchers had many expeditions. They went to the TSU’s station in Kaybasovo, held summer school in the Aktru mountains, and discovered a place in Novosibirsk Region with one of the largest amount of mammoth bones in Eurasia.
The most memorable scientific adventure was the expedition “All Ob: From its Origins to the River Mouth” held in July and August. The TSSW researchers from natural sciences and humanities went on a long trip to see the river.

There were some other serious events organized by the centre in 2016, such as the international seminar “Siberia in the Global Context: Influence of Climate Change on the Environment of the Siberian Arctic”; the 3d international research and practice web-conference “Connect Universum – 2016: Digital Nomadism as a Global and Siberian Trend”; the 16th
international research and practice conference “Opportunities of Developing Local Studies and Tourism in Siberia and the Neighboring Regions”; and “The University Cities Forum” with participants from different parts of the world.

The TSSW researchers presented the results of their research and their development at different Russian and international conferences and forums.

As for the education process, the centre, being one of the Strategic Academic Units (StrAUs), has become a generator of interdisciplinary scientific knowledge. Three autonomous interdisciplinary master’s programmes have been launched this year: Studying Siberia and the Arctic, Siberia: Recourses and Modern Practices in Regional Development, and European and Eurasian Integration: Comparative Research. The programmes are bilingual. This experience will be applied next years, when several new programmes are ready to be launched at TSSW.
One of such programmes, Digital Place Brand Management, was presented in December at the TSSW’s Council meeting. The programme will prepare specialists who will be capable of developing brands of places, including Tomsk and Siberia, on the Internet by the means of digital technologies. In January 2017, two other prospective programmes, Migration Research and Global Trade, will be introduced at TSSW.

Multiple cultural and education events took place in order to learn more about the culture of Siberia and its people.

In May, the research forum “Days of Siberia” became a real festive event for the people of Tomsk and its guests.
Siberian variant of “The Russian Seasons” was held at TSU in November. It was the second research and cultural forum organized by the historians and the culture experts of TSSW. Each time they choose a new theme that is interesting for a certain audience. This time it was “Dolls and the World: the Handmade Population”.
Looking back at the achievements of 2016, the management and the staff of TSSW look forward to the next year. They do it with optimism and enthusiasm. All their efforts are aimed at carrying out new research projects that will help to make the life of Siberian people more comfortable and joyful. People are the main target audience of everything the centre and the University do.

New Year Eve is a moment of renovation and inspiration. TSSW research centre wishes you health and strength to carry out new bold projects and achieve new goals!